Oscar-nominated Seattle filmmaker detained in Iran

Seattle filmmaker James Longley was detained in Iran on Sunday, according to an e-mail posted on a local film blog picked up by The New York Times.

The Oscar-nominated short “Sari’s Mother” was directed by Seattle filmmaker James Longley

Longley was covering the country’s elections Sunday when he was arrested.

According to the e-mail, which Longley reportedly sent to a friend, his experience made him question his mission. In it he describes being “dragged” to the nearby Interior Ministry and seeing his translator, who was also arrested, punched, threatened and kicked in the groin.

“All in all, it made me really question what I am doing in this country. It has become impossible to work as a journalist without the risk of physical violence from the government,” the e-mail reads.